The 12-year-old Bowmore exudes beautiful coastal notes with a  gentle peat, which balances the floral elements present in Bowmore.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Coastal smoke and ash soon make way for bergamot, orange zest, lemon slices and some hay before becoming rather floral, heather smoke now competing with the ash.

Palate: Lovely and rounded, honeyed even, initially. Vanilla, perfumed smoke and coastal elements develop. Dark Peat. Blossom, oily sweetness.

Finish: Smoky and long. Seaspray, dry grass, a touch of ash and citrus.

In an era when efficiency was promoted over quality, our distillery was considered irredeemably old-fashioned. The single malt produced before our closure in 1994 now equates to less than 1% of all the ‘pre-renaissance’ whisky still maturing in our warehouses. Our oldest spirits have become some of our rarest and most treasured. Ensuring the eloquent work of our predecessors is given the closest attention, this finite 1992 vintage has been nurtured on its 29-year journey from cask to cask by our head distiller, Adam Hannett.

Matured in unrivalled quality oak, this unpeated spirit’s recipe is held in absolute secret – as is customary with every Black Art edition before it. What we do know about our 9th edition is that our most alchemic single malt is the oldest ever. This is the quintessential Black Art: Edition 09.1.

Never as expected, delicate but powerful, this is unadulterated heavy smoke balanced with our vivacious and dynamic, fruity and floral distillate. While Octomore in itself does not conform to tradition, our Head Distiller Adam Hannett is inclined to mature Octomore .1 editions solely in ex-American whiskey casks for 5 vibrant years. Octomore 12.1 is the necessary control for the rest of the series, as experiments within an experiment, but our baseline should not be underestimated. Mainland grown Scottish barley is distilled in a patient and considered trickle. The stripped back maturation profile allows a sensory conversation that highlights the cereal-rich, malty notes of this barley-forward single malt. Vanilla, citrus and fudge culminate in an enigmatic challenge to received whisky wisdom.

The influence of the European oak is unmissable, with a touch of dryness balanced with the vibrancy of wood spices, smoked oak and roasted coffee. Barbeque sweetness and a crack of black pepper is complemented with rich fruit cake and dried fruits. A drop of water opens the smoke and fruity sweetness from the wine casks, bringing a beautiful balance as notes of apple and pear grow with the dram.

Octomore 14.2 uses the same barley varietal and is malted to the same PPM as the 14.1, but the liquids diverge profoundly with the influence of wine and sherry casks on the 14.2 spirit.

The backbone of each Octomore series, the 15.1 is the necessary comparison from which the other expressions oscillate.

Laying bare the profound influence of high intensity peat smoke, the spirit has matured in a combination of first fill bourbon barrels and re-charred ex-bourbon casks, mindfully extracting as much character from the wood as possible. The result is a raw and uncompromising single malt whisky which demonstrates Octomore’s refined strength of character, balancing smooth vanilla custard and sweet charred oak with heady peat smoke.

Peated to 108.2 PPM and distilled from 100% Scottish barley, in a combination of bourbon barrels and re-charred ex-bourbon casks. Demonstrating refined strength of character, balancing smooth vanilla custard and sweet charred oak with heady peat smoke.

Using the same batch of Scottish barley malted to the same 101.4ppm, the 16.2 has been housed in a fine selection of Oloroso and Bordeaux casks before being finished in Madeira and Portuguese Moscatel for a rich and complex flavour. Caramelised sugar, roasted nuts, and dried fruits abound, enveloped in sweet campfire smoke.

Rich and sweet smoke, followed by caramelised sugar, roasted nuts, and dried fruits. Subtle hints of candied peel and warming spices follow. The underlying peat adds depth and complexity, evoking the warmth of a campfire and a touch of sea salt.

Continuing the Series 16 odyssey, this elegant single malt explores the influence of barley grown in Church Field on Octomore Farm, Islay. A symphony of honeyed malt, toasted grain and a distinctive earthiness meet delicate threads of smoke and salinity.

A symphony of honeyed malt, toasted grain and a distinctive earthiness greet the palate. Orchard fruits, citrus and a touch of vanilla sweetness follow, whilst delicate threads of smoke and salinity weave through the malt, providing a gentle counterpoint to heather and coconutty gorse.